A strange little man in a long cloak appears suddenly in the room. He is
wearing a high pointed hat embroidered with astrological signs. He has a
long, stringy, and unkempt beard.
The Wizard draws forth his wand and waves it in your direction. It begins
to glow with a faint blue glow. The Wizard, in a deep and resonant voice,
speaks the word "FAQ!" He cackles gleefully.
(2.1) Infocom
This is part 2 of the Frequently Asked Questions list for the group
rec.games.int-fiction, a Usenet newsgroup for the discussion of
Interactive Fiction games and related topics. To read a specific
question, use your newsreader's search function on the string "(n)",
where n is the question number, or click on one of the links below if
you are viewing this in HTML.
Contents of this file:
(2.1) Infocom
(2.2) What happened to Infocom, anyway?
(2.3) How did Infocom make those neat packages?
(2.4) Hey, anybody know how I can reach Steve Meretzky?
(2.5) Classic Infocom titles
(2.6) Previous Infocom compilations you still might find
(2.7) Recent Infocom products
(2.8) Infocom's historical artifacts
(2.9) Missing game pieces
(2.10) What is a Z-Machine?
(2.11) Where can I get free Infocom games?
(2.12) Creating your own adventure games
Part 1 covers the elements of rec.games.int-fiction. Part 3 covers
non-Infocom game producers.
The current maintainer is Stephen van Egmond. Questions and information
should be mailed to mailto:svanegmond@tinyplanet.ca. The most recent
version is at http://bang.dhs.org/faq/
The dream dissolves around you as his last words echo through the void....
> AIMFIZ FORD PREFECT
As you cast the spell, the moldy scroll vanishes!
After a momentary dizziness, you realize that your location has changed,
although Ford Prefect is not in sight...
You can make out a shadow moving in the dark.
> LOOK AT SHADOW
The shadow is vaguely Ford Prefect-shaped.
This is a squalid room filled with grubby mattresses, unwashed cups, and
unidentifiable bits of smelly alien underwear. A door lies to port, and an
airlock lies to starboard.
Ford removes the bottle of Santraginean Mineral Water which he's been
waving under your nose. He tells you that you are aboard a Vogon
spaceship, and gives you some peanuts.
> ASK FORD ABOUT INFOCOM
A long silence tells you that Ford Prefect isn't interested in talking
about Infocom.
Ford yawns. "Matter transference always tires me out. I'm going to take a
nap." He places something on top of his satchel. "If you have any
questions, here's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (Footnote 14).
Ford lowers his voice to a whisper. "I'm not supposed to tell you this,
but you'll never be able to finish the game without consulting the Guide
about lots of stuff." As he curls up in a corner and begins snoring, you
pick up the Guide.
> CONSULT GUIDE ABOUT INFOCOM
The Guide checks through its Sub-Etha-Net database and eventually comes up
with the following entry:
(2.2) What happened to Infocom, anyway?
This information is taken from [what was once] the comp.sys.ibm.pc.games
FAQ, with thanks to Infocom's Stu Galley for passing it along:
[Thanks to Dave Lebling (Infocom co-founder) for the definitive info on
this]
Infocom never went out of business. It went deeply into debt to develop
a database product (named Cornerstone) that was a commercial flop. It
went shopping for a merger and found Activision, which later changed its
name to Mediagenic. What did happen is that in May of 1989 Mediagenic
closed down the "real" Infocom in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and laid
(almost) everyone off. All the releases up through Zork Zero, Shogun,
Journey, and Arthur were developed in Cambridge.
Mediagenic licensed the UK rights to the games to Virgin Mastertronic
some time ago.
Mediagenic went nearly bankrupt, was taken over by outside investors,
and taken through a so-called "pre-packaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy" in
January, 1992. As part of that process, they changed their name back to
Activision, moved from Silicon Valley down to LA, and recently merged
with a company owned by the investors (called The Disc Company).
Activision continues to release new products under the Infocom label,
including collections of Infocom's text adventures. Their graphical
CDROM adventures have been greeted with dour grunts on
rec.*.int-fiction, but the games seem to be improving in quality with
every new release.
You begin to feel distinctly groggy.
> WHAT IS A ZORKMID?
(2.3) How did Infocom make those neat packages?
From: Dan Schmidt <dfan@harmonixmusic.com>
Newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction
Fredrik Ekman <ekman@lysator.liu.se> wrote:
>I am wondering who wrote the stuff that came with the classic Infocom
>packages, such as the Enchanter "History of Magic" or the Leather
>Goddesses comic-book. Was it the game authors or someone else?
>Was there some kind of "editor" for the game packages that had the
>over-all responsibility for art, text and extra gimmicks?
I work with Mike Dornbrook, so I asked him. Here's his response: [MD
developed InvisiClues and had an illustrious career in Infocom's
marketing department.]
There were actually quite a few people involved in creating the package
elements for Infocom games. The game authors (we called them "the
implementors") were the primary writers. The first exotic package was
for Deadline (the third game, after Zork I and II). It was created
because Marc Blank couldn't fit all the information he wanted to include
into the 80K game size. Marc and the ad agency, Giardini/Russel (G/R),
co-created the police dossier which included photos, interrogation
reports, lab reports and pills found near the body. The result was
phenomenally successful, and Infocom decided to make all subsequent
packages truly special (a big benefit was the reduction in piracy, which
was rampant at the time).
The first 16 packages were done in collaboration with G/R. David Haskell
was the primary copywriter for Infocom materials (ads, catalogs, package
elements, etc.). G/R typically did the "fluffier" pieces. Infocom's game
implementor (and one of the co-founders) Dave Lebling wrote "The History
of Magic" in Enchanter, but G/R wrote the "True Tales of Adventure" in
Cutthroats. [The attentive reader will note that Sorcerer has a creature
named "Jeearr", which is absolutely not a coincidence. --SvE]
We were spending a fortune on package design ($60,000 each on average in
1984 - just for design!), so we eventually decided to bring it in-house.
I hired an Art Director, Carl Genatossio, a writer, a typesetting/layout
person, and someone to manage all the "feelies" in the packages. These
folks (plus an occasional contractor during busy periods) did all the
packages, hint books, New Zork Times, sell sheets, etc. from 1985 until
the end in 1989. There were two writers during that time period -
Elizabeth Langosy for most of it, then Marjorie Gove. Again there was a
mix of game implementor writing and "marketing" writing. For instance,
Steve Meretzky wrote the comic book in Leather Goddesses, but Elizabeth
wrote the newspaper in Sherlock.
An unsung heroine of Infocom was our Production Manager, Angela Crews.
She was responsible for acquiring the scratch-n-sniff cards, ancient
Zorkmid coins, glow-in-the-dark stones, etc. which made the packages so
distinctive. It was often an incredibly difficult task.
As for who oversaw all of this, again, there were many responsible. The
Product Manager (first me, then Gayle Syska, then Rob Sears) worked with
the Implementor and the Art Director to come up with a concept for the
package and hammered out the details of the elements. All of these folks
were intimately involved in the approvals, editing, tweaking, etc. which
all of the elements underwent over a 3 to 4 month period. And many
others (from the President, to Sales, to Testing) put in their two cents
along the way.
I would estimate that each Infocom package had 1.5 man-years of effort
invested in its creation.
Regards,
-Mike Dornbrook
You begin to feel indistinctly groggy.
> LOOK UNDER MATTRESS FOR IMPLEMENTOR
(2.4) Hey, anybody know how I can reach Steve Meretzky?
The members of the original Infocom crew have moved on to other
positions. Any kind of "where are they now" would probably be wrong, out
of date, and almost certainly unwelcome. David Lebling has recently
surfaced on rec.*.int-fiction to comment from time to time, and so has
Liz Cyr Jones, Brian Moriarty and others. Other implementors may be
lurking; nobody knows.
You see nothing else interesting.
> CONSULT GUIDE ABOUT CLASSIC INFOCOM PRODUCTS
The Guide checks through its Sub-Etha-Net database and eventually comes up
with the following entry:
(2.5) Classic Infocom titles
Classic Infocom is generally defined to be anything before Return to
Zork. Activision owns the rights to all the Infocom games and
trademarks, and occasionally releases them in some repackaged form or
another.
Activision is currently [footnote 42] selling a few compilations, but
they are not (as of December 200) mentioned nor available on their
website. Yet they are for sale on http://www.amazon.com/, and of course
there's always ebay.
Infocom Mystery Collection
Contents unknown.
Infocom Adventure Collection
Contents unknown.
The Zork Collection
Contains Zork I, II and III, Enchanter, Sorceror, Spellbreaker,
Wishbringer, Beyond Zork and Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz.
The packaging in all three cases is a CD in a box, with the game files,
interpreter, and PDF versions of the documentation.
If you are looking for pirated copies of classic products, don't bother
asking on this newsgroup. In fact, don't bother at all. Many of the
games rely on materials in the game package for copy protection, either
in the form of knowledge you would have by reading it, or data that you
need to look up.
Ford is curled up on the bed, snoring loudly.
> FOOTNOTE 42
(2.6) Previous Infocom compilations you still might find
Infocom, in its pre-Activision days released trilogies containing a
subset of the trinkets found in the original packages. Like almost all
other original Infocom packages, these are now collectors' items.
Infocom released the Zork, Enchanter, Classic Mystery, and Science
Fiction trilogies, and Activision continues to bring out new trilogies
from time to time.
There is a service (see
http://home1.gte.net/longrj2/infocom/buyandsell.html) that tracks places
on the net that have these packages for sale.
Activision has released its own series of compilations:
"The Lost Treasures of Infocom I"
is a collection of 20 Infocom games. You may be able to obtain
it through mail-order outlets or used from someone who doesn't
want it anymore. The package was available for the IBM PC, the
Apple Macintosh and the Commodore Amiga. The CD and floppy
editions were identical.
The games in LToI I were:
* Zork I
* Enchanter
* Deadline
* Starcross
* Zork II
* Sorcerer
* Witness
* Suspended
* Zork III
* Spellbreaker
* Suspect
* Planetfall Zork Zero
* Ballyhoo
* Infidel
* Stationfall
* Beyond Zork
* Moonmist
* Lurking Horror
* Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The LToI 1 package was available for the Apple IIgs through the
Big Red Computer Club, which sought and received permission from
Activision to produce a IIgs version which used a hacked-up
version of the InfoTaskForce (ITF) interpreter and did not
include Zork Zero. Matt Ackeret's IIgs port of Zip is far
better:
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/interpreters/zip/
The package includes a manual which contains photocopies of all
the original manuals and game pieces (such as the trading cards
from "Spellbreaker", which are needed to solve a puzzle in the
game), but some information is missing -- see section 2.7 below.
The package also contains a hint book, which looks like somebody
took all the Invisiclues booklets and typed them into a text
file. The hint book is riddled with spelling mistakes,
formatting errors and other problems, but in most cases the
mistakes are not serious enough to keep you from using it.
"Lost Treasures of Infocom II"
contained most (but not all) of the remaining Infocom text
adventure games, and retailed for $29.95 through retail and mail
order outlets. The games in the 3.5 disk version were:
* Seastalker
* Wishbringer
* A Mind Forever Voyaging
* Trinity
* Cutthroats
* Hollywood Hijinx
* Bureaucracy
* Border Zone
* Plundered Hearts
* Sherlock
* Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It
The CD-ROM version contained Shogun, Arthur and Journey in
addition.
LToI2 was produced for the Macintosh and PC only. Users of other
platforms can play the non-graphical games by transferring the
files to their machine and playing them with a ZIP. (See
question 2.10.)
This package contains photocopies of the original packaging, but
does NOT contain a hint book: Instead it contains a 1-900 number
which you can call to receive hints which is probably dead by
now. Some information is missing for Bueaucracy. See question
2.7. LToI2 also incorrectly identifies Kevin Pope as the author
of Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It. Kevin Pope
drew the cartoons which were included in the package. Jeff
O'Neill wrote the game.
After Lost Treasures, Infocom released its topical Collections. These
are considered inferior to just about every other collection.
Mystery Collection
Ballyhoo, Deadline, Witness, Moonmist, Sherlock
Adventure Collection
Border Zone, Plundered Hearts, Cutthroats, Trinity, Infidel
Comedy Collection
Bureaucracy, Hollywood Hijinx, Nord & Bert
Fantasy Collection
Enchanter, Sorcerer, Spellbreaker, Seastalker, Wishbringer
Science Fiction Collection
Hitchhiker's, Suspended, AMFV, Starcross, Stationfall
Zork Anthology
Published by Activision in 1994 as a CD companion to the
pseudo-Infocom title "Return to Zork". It contains Zork I, Zork
II, Zork III, Beyond Zork, Zork Zero, and oddly, Planetfall.
And, most recently:
Classic Text Adventure Masterpieces
This CD (released for PC and Mac, and works on other OSes) meets
practically every wish of the rec.games.int-fiction readership.
The CD includes the following games: A Mind Forever Voyaging;
Arthur: The Quest For Excalibur; Ballyhoo; Border Zone;
Bureaucracy; Cutthroat; Deadline; Enchanter; Hollywood Hijinx;
Infidel; Journey; Leather Goddesses Of Phobos; Lurking Horror;
Moonmist; Nord And Bert Couldn't Make Head Or Tail Of It;
Planetfall; Plundered Hearts; Seastalker; Sherlock; Sorcerer;
Spellbreaker; Starcross; Stationfall; Suspect; Suspended;
Trinity; Wishbringer; Witness; Zork Zero; Zork I; Zork II; Zork
III; Beyond Zork. Also included is the top 6 winning entries
from the 1995 Interactive Fiction authorship competition, a
"Very Lost Treasures of Infocom" section containing old game
ideas, statements of principle, and e-mail archives from
Infocom's heyday.
Notable by their absence are Hitch Hiker's and Shogun, which are
not included since the rights to distribute those games have
reverted back to the original authors. Douglas Adams has made
Hitchhiker's freely playable on his website,
http://www.douglasadams.com. It is also possible to save the .z5
file to your hard drive for playing with one of the interpreter
programs.
All maps and documentation are included in Adobe Acrobat format
which can be printed out.
The packaging of Masterpieces bears little resemblance to the
originals; notably absent are the plastic or metal trinkets that
were included in packages (for example, The Hitch-Hiker's Guide
to the Galaxy included peril-sensitive sunglasses, a "Don't
Panic" button, a zip-lock baggie containing a microscopic space
fleet, and orders for the destruction of your home and planet).
Infocom's original packaging is legendary in the software
industry.
You begin to feel groggily indistinct.
> EAT PEANUTS
You feel stronger as the peanuts replace some of the protein you lost in
the matter transference beam.
An announcement is coming over the ship's intercom. "Ed tgrykonx jcavfluu
nx jchotha otoyefti ltruvupirbi swrotrueft ochoollzitchogrya rd tfudeftd t
ow ctrufudx jp wkonvuphuvd te h oulpkonz zollcava ri li lo ti l oe hfudx
jirbtrugrys gvupp work oo sthaquio ta btoyr gkonr ga r or gz zr gi
skwazitz zkwaa rerl ow cfluirbwroorktoyfimthad tulp oe he hfluo
simbchogryr gu ni s."
> CONSULT GUIDE ABOUT RECENT INFOCOM PRODUCTS
The Guide checks through its Sub-Etha-Net database and eventually comes up
with the following entry:
(2.7) Recent Infocom products
Activision is working to build a following for Infocom's universes based
on the modern trend to humongous games sprawling across hundreds of
megabytes. Their offerings to date:
Return to Zork
A mid-1993 entry for the IBM PC, set far in the "future" of the
Zork series. Difficult, hunt-the-pixels, graphical interface. A
Macintosh version was released in mid-1994. PC Demo is
available.
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/demos/zorkdemo.zip
Zork: Nemesis
A graphical CD-ROM adventure released in 1995. The interface has
improved somewhat; the game includes amusing references to the
Zork universe, but the plot is said to be irregular and the
puzzles somewhat inconsistent. Said to be a huge improvement
over RTZ.
Planetfall: The Search for Floyd
Originally said to be due out in 1995, this project was killed
at Activision, revived with a release date in January 1997, then
finally killed. The publically-accessible vestiges of this game
include the demo included on the Masterpieces CD and some posts
made by an Activision representative under the name
"floydhere@aol.com", available from Deja News.
Zork Grand Inquisitor
Released in 1998, this is Activision's most recent effort in the
Zork universe. Additional information is available at
http://directory.google.com/Top/Games/Video_Games/Genres/Interactive_Fiction/Titles/Zork_Series/Zork_Grand_Inquisitor/
Zork: The Undiscovered Underground
This is a text adventure prequel to Zork Grand inquisitor
written by Marc Blank and Mike Berlyn (former Infocommies),
programmed by Gerry Kevin Wilson. Available at
http://www.ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archiveXinfocomXmissing-files.html
> CONSULT GUIDE ABOUT OTHER INFOCOM PRODUCTS
The Guide checks through its Sub-Etha-Net database and eventually comes up
with the following entry:
(2.8) Infocom's historical artifacts
There are a handful of games and other Infocom products that are not
included in any of the compilations. These products range from
hard-to-find early Infocom products to non-IF games made by other
companies and marketed under the Infocom brand name.
For more information about Infocom products, version numbers and Infocom
products that were never released, see Paul David's Doherty's "Infocom
Fact Sheet", which is periodically posted on rec.games.int-fiction and
is also avaialable at
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/info/fact-sheet.txt.
Hard-to-find and early products
The Infocom Sampler (pre-1984?)
This was the first of three demo products written by Infocom,
containing (we think) excerpts from Zork I. The existence of
this sampler is deduced mainly because a later version of the
Sampler has serial number "ID2", suggesting an earlier "ID1".
The Infocom Sampler (1984, 1985)
This was the second of three samplers, containing excerpts from
Zork I, Planetfall, Infidel and The Witness, and also containing
a unique two-room puzzle that involved catching a butterfly.
Available for virtually every computer on the market in 1985
(including the Osborne, Kaypro II, TRS-80 Color Computer, etc.)
Superseded in 1987 by the third and final Infocom Sampler.
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/demos/sampler1_R55.z3
The Infocom Sampler (Fall 1987)
Third and final sampler containing puzzles from Zork I, Trinity,
Leather Goddesses of Phobos and Wishbringer. IBM PC, Apple II
and Commodore 64.
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/demos/sampler2.z3
Fooblitzky (Summer 1985)
A graphical game involving deductive logic, by Marc Blank,
Michael Berlyn, Brian Cody, Poh C. Lim and Paula Maxwell. IBM
PC, Apple II, Atari XL/XE series.
Shogun, Journey, and Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur
Versions for the Apple IIe and Amiga were produced, but are now
rare. IBM and Mac versions are on LToI 2 CD-ROMs as well as
Masterpieces. Shogun has been seen running on an Apple IIgs; it
used IIe graphics rather than the IIgs' super-hires mode.
Leather Goddesses of Phobos (Summer 1986)
Activision chose not to include the original LGoP in either of
the Lost Treasures packages, possibly to prevent confusion with
the inferior sequel (see below) that was published at about the
same time. A coupon in the LToI II package offered the IBM PC
version of this game for an additional $10; versions for other
machines, including the Apple II, Macintosh, Atari and Amiga,
can only be obtained used, and you will probably have to look
for awhile.
Leather Goddesses of Phobos II: Gas Pump Girls Meet the Pulsating
Inconvenience from Planet X
This 1992 offering from "Infocom" had more in common with
Leisure Suit Larry than with the original Leather Goddesses.
Available for the IBM PC.
The New Zork Times and The Status Line (1983? - 1988)
The legendary Infocom newsletter. The name was changed in
mid-1986 due to threatened legal action by a lesser-known
newspaper serving a smaller area (Infocom promptly began using
old newspapers for packing material when shipping games to their
customers; by coincidence the NYT was the paper of choice for
this purpose). Thirteen issues were published under the name
'NZT'; one issue (Spring 1986) was titled '****' and the
remaining ten were published as 'TSL'. The newsletters are now
collector's items, and a complete set is rare.
The Infodoc project has a complete archive of all 24 issues in
PDF format: see http://infodoc.plover.net/. Some text articles
are archived at ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/info
and at http://www.csd.uwo.ca/~pete/Infocom/
Cornerstone (Fall 1984)
Infocom's one and only attempt at a commercial business product
(see section 2.1, above); probably of interest only to purists.
IBM PC version only; description in Winter 1985 NZT.
Non-Infocom "Infocom" offerings
Infocomics (1988)
Many believe that this is the point where Infocom-as-a-publisher
ended and Infocom-as-a-brand-name-for-lesser-products began. IBM
PC, Apple II, Commodore 64/128. At least four of these $12
'comic books' were published:
* Lane Mastodon vs. The Blubbermen
* Gamma Force in Pit of a Thousand Screams
* ZorkQuest I: Assault on Egreth Castle
* ZorkQuest II: The Crystal of Doom
Some comments from Steve Meretzky on Infocomics:
How depressing, I thought that InfoComix were long forgotten.
[...] The InfoComix were a joint venture between two Cambridge
companies, about a mile from each other: Infocom, and Tom
Snyder Productions. TSP was most well-known for doing
educational software and kids games; probably their most
successful product was Snooper Troopers. (We're talking early
'80s here.) (An aside: Tom Snyder went on to create a
successful animated cable TV show, something like "Dr. Katz".)
(Another aside: the programmer who created the InfoComix
engine, Omar Khudari, went on to found Papyrus, a very
successful creator of computerized car racing games.)
TSP created the InfoComix engine (of course, it wasn't called
that yet), created a rough version of the first product on it
("Pit of a Thousand Screams" or something like that), and
approached Infocom about creating more products using the same
engine. The Infocom top brass was attracted to the idea, I
think particularly to the idea that we could put out $10 games
and still make money.
Various people at Infocom then wrote scripts for the
InfoComics. I wrote the Lane Mastodon script. TSP then took
those scripts and did all the artwork and programming. I think
Infocom might have contributed some testing personnel toward
the end of the project cycle. It's a while ago, and I didn't
pay too much attention to it after the initial script, so my
memory is fuzzy. I believe there were a total of 4 Infocomix;
a fifth one was killed in mid-development; it was going to be
a much more adult-oriented product, a murder mystery inspired
by the movie "Body Heat". And yes, I wrote the LGOP comic book
(although the idea of doing it as a 3D comic was Brian
Moriarty's idea).
-- Steve Meretzy
Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth (Fall 1988)
Activision purchased the rights to this Macintosh game from
Simulated Environment Systems in late 1988, and reworked the
text and user interface. The game is a graphical RPG similar to
a number of D&D-type games on the market. Infocom planned to
release this game for the Apple IIgs and IBM, but only the
Macintosh version was ever published.
BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception (Fall 1988)
Activision now sells this game and its sequel (BattleTech: The
Crescent Hawk's Revenge) as part of a three-game package of
BattleTech-related games. Developed by Westwood Associates.
"Available in November [1988] for the IBM, in February [1989]
for the Commodore 64/128, and in [Spring 1989] for the Apple II
series and the Amiga." The IBM, Amiga and Commodore 64 versions
have been sighted; the status of the Apple II version is
unknown.
Simon The Sorcerer
Infocom was used as the label for IBM and Mac distribution for
this Sierra-style graphical adventure. Amiga distribution was by
Adventure Soft, who in 1993 released the IBM version themselves.
The Activision package looks like a leather-bound book. If you
look at the left edge, you see a drawing of the spine of a book.
If you look at the right edge of the package, you see a drawing
of the edge of the pages. Same goes for the top and bottom
edges.
The picture of Simon on the front cover is slightly different on
the Activision package than it is on the AdventureSoft package.
However, both are reportedly reminiscent of the Harry Potter
books released in 2000.
Circuit's Edge
IBM and "other 8-bit platforms". A science-fiction RPG based on
Effinger's world in the story "When Gravity Fails". An Amiga
version may have been planned or in production, but it was never
released.
Mines of Titan
IBM, Apple IIe and "other 8-bit platforms". A science-fiction
RPG set on the moon Titan. Originally released as _The Mars
Saga_ on the 64. Written by Westwood Associates. An Amiga
version may have been planned or in production, but it was never
released.
Guards burst in and grab you and Ford, who comes slowly awake. They drag
you down the corridor to a large cabin, where they strap you into large,
menacing chairs...
This is the cabin of the Vogon Captain. You and Ford are strapped into
poetry appreciation chairs. The Captain is indescribably hideous,
indescribably blubbery, and indescribably mid-to-dark green. He is holding
samples of his favourite poetry.
> ASK THE CAPTAIN ABOUT MISSING GAME PIECES
One of the guards lightly bashes your skull with the butt of his weapon
and says (Ford translates for you):
(2.9) Missing game pieces
The Infodoc project is rebuilding a complete library of Infocom packages
and paraphernalia. They have secured permission from Laird Malamed of
Activision to recreate the game packages of the games that were in
Mastererpieces (which is everything except Arthur and HHGG). See
http://infodoc.plover.net. When their work is complete, this section
will be obsolete.
However, for now, here is a list of missing or hard-to-find info in the
Lost Treasures game packages. All have been typed in and are available
at ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/shipped-documentation
Ballyhoo
The original packaging included an advertisement for a radio
station, WPDL AM at 1170 KHz. You will need to tune the radio to
this frequency (or TUNE RADIO TO WPDL) to get a vital clue.
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/shipped-documentation/ballyhoo.lost.stuff
Lurking Horror
Your Login ID, an important part of one of the early puzzles, is
*not* missing from the LToI manual. It's just hard to find.
(Hint: It's written somewhere on your Student ID Card.)
Bureaucracy
Some important information from the Popular Paranoia
advertisement is missing, as well as the Beezer card application
in triplicate is absent from the LToI 2 package.
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/shipped-documentation/bureaucracy.lost.stuff
Moonmist
Your friend Tamara will make frequent references to the letters
she wrote asking for your help; unfortunately, these letters are
not included in the LToI package. The full text of these two
letters is available from the ftp.ifarchive.org archive, with
many thanks to Mark Howell for typing in these letters from the
original package.
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/shipped-documentation/moonmist.letters
Zork Zero
The original documentation for Zork Zero contained information
about the game's on-screen mapping, which may be activated by
typing in the command "MAP" at any time during the game. No
mention is made of this in LToI 1.
Also, some versions of the LToI package may be missing a (vital)
map of the "Rockville Estates" section of the game. The map is a
bluesprint of a construction site ("Frobozz Magic Construction
Company") showing an 8 x 8 grid of octagonal rooms connected by
lines representing passages. You cannot win the game without the
information on this map.
Some copies of the LToI manual include this map on a page that
is apparently numbered "40b" (the preceding page is "40a", and
the next page is 41 -- the page with the map is not numbered),
suggesting that the map was inserted after the first printing.
Early IBM versions of the LToI manual include the map on page 2
of the Zork I instructions.
If all else fails, the ASCII drawing on the next page is a rough
but accurate rendering of the "Rockville Estates" blueprint for
Infocom's Zork Zero. This map is provided for use by legitimate
owners of the Lost Treasures of Infocom package only.
0 1 2 3 4 5.... 6.... 7 Goobar -
.' .' .' I left my hardhat
8 9 10 11 12....13 14 15 out in lot 0.
: .' .' Please pick it up
16 17 18 19 20 21 22....23 Thanks,
`. .' .' .' Quizbo
24 25 26....27 28 29 30....31
: .' .' :
32 33 34....35 36 37 38....39
: .' .' : .' To
40 41 42....43 44....45 46 47....GUH-95
: `. .' : .' `. .' .'
48 49 50 51....52 53 54 55
`. : `. : `.
56....57....58 59 60 61....62....63
._____________________________
Work still to be performed in Phase Two: |Frobozz Magic Construction Co
* Removal of temporary passages | ROCKVILLE ESTATES
* Installation of emergency exits | Phase Two, showing all work
* Installation of sprinkler system | completed through 29-Mum-880
* Construction of Concierge apartment | 1:440 | drawn by S. Fzortbar
The Vogon Captain says, "Ofudgrythafudo tw cchoe ho tz z ocavtrup wwroz zl
mfluz ztruqui." A guard grabs you and Ford, and drags you toward the hold.
Ford whispers, "Don't worry, I'll think of something!"
In the corner is a glass case with a switch and a keyboard. It looks like
the glass case contains:
an atomic vector plotter
Ford begins trying to talk the guard into a sudden career change.
> TYPE 'HELLO'
The hold of the Vogon ship is virtually undamaged by the explosion of the
glass case. You, however, are blasted into tiny bits and smeared all over
the room. Several cleaning robots fly in and wipe you neatly off the
walls.
**** You have died ****
Your guardian angel, draped in white, appears floating in the nothingness
before you. "Gotten in a bit of a scrape, eh?" he asks, writing
frantically in a notebook. "I'd love to chat, but we're so busy this
month." The angel twitches his nose, and the nothingness is replaced by...
It is pitch black. You could be eaten by a zmachine.
> WHAT IS A ZMACHINE?
(2.10) What is a Z-Machine?
A zmachine or ZIP (Z-machine Interpreter Program) is a program that
interprets and runs Infocom game data files. Infocom used a
way-ahead-of-their-time implementation scheme that allowed them to
develop one game that would run on any of 26 different computers, using
a ZIP program specific to that computer and a data file common to all
machines.
The Z-machine specification underwent several extensions at Infocom. The
first two versions are obscure and you aren't very likely to encounter
them. Version 3 ("Standard") is the format for the majority of the files
in the Lost Treasures of Infocom series. Version 4 ("Plus") was a brief
experiment that quickly lead to version 5 ("Advanced"), a size suitable
for creating fairly large adventures of the magnitude of Curses or
Trinity (about 256K). Version 6 ("Graphical") has recently been
deciphered and can handle story files about twice as large as version 5.
Until version 6 arrived, all the Z-machines were text-only. Version 6
added some graphics primitives and is the format used in Arthur,
Journey, Shogun, and Zork Zero.
With the release of Inform 5.5, the free compiler for Infocom format
files (see below), Graham Nelson has proposed two new versions (7 and
8), the first non-Infocom "extensions" to the standard. Version 8 is
identical to version 5 but with twice the storage (512K).
Mark Howell wrote "ztools" -- a collection of C source files for dumping
vocabulary, version, font, graphic and other information from Infocom
games, for converting IBM bootable disks into story files, and for
disassembly of story files to Z-code assembly language. Ztools is
maintained by Stefan Jokisch. There are also numerous other "tool"
programs for Infocom files available by other authors for other
platforms. ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/tools
As a point of history, Infocom generated their Z-code files by compiling
the Zork Implementation Language (ZIL) with a compiler named ZILCH. ZIL
is a dialect of a Lisp-like language called MDL. MDL is ancient history,
and ZIL seems to have disappeared entirely, though some code fragments
can be found in back issues of the New Zork Times.
The ftp site has a considerable collection of Z-machine interpreters.
Frotz is the most accurate implementation, but other interpreters may
have more bells and whistles for your particular platform. They are at
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/interpreters
Gareth Rees maintains a mini-FAQ with information on which interpreters
are recommended for which platforms, and what to do if you can't find an
interpreter for your computer.
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/games/infocom/how-to-play-these-games
There are some other ZIP programs at the if-archive that are not listed
in Gareth's mini-FAQ. They range in quality, but some are fairly
portable and have interesting source code. The best all-around is Frotz.
These are available at
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/interpreters/; remember to
look in the 'old' subdirectory.
Recommended interpreters
DOS, Windows, OS/2, BeOS, Windows CE, Amiga, (sort of) Linux, Psion
Series 5
Frotz by Stefan Jokisch. Plays all games, version 1 through
version 8, and conforms to Z-Machine Standard 1.0. Supports
timed input (Border Zone), graphic font (Beyond Zork and
Journey), mouse and function keys, command line editing and
history, small save files, sound effects (Lurking Horror and
Sherlock), cheat functions, multiple UNDO, input line recording
and playback, and European characters (Zork I German).
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/interpreters/frotz/
Psion 3c, some Unix variants
itf by the InfoTaskForce. Uses resources for configuration under
X11. Supports V1-V8 games (except V6), color and proportional
fonts, command history, command-line editing, and compressed
save files.
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/interpreters/itf/
Apple Newton
Yazi by George Madrid and Sanjay Vakil. The shareware version
present here ($25) is somewhat crippled: you can save your game
at any time, but the games saved after more than 50 moves cannot
be restored in the shareware version.
http://www.scrawlsoft.com/products/yazi/info.htmlfor the most
recent version.
Java
Zax by Matt Kimmel. Supports all z-code versions except v6, and
is very nearly compliant with Specification 1.0 of the
Z-Machine.
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/interpreters/zax/
Nokia Nokia 9000-9110i Communicators
http://www.artilect.co.uk/z9k
Acorn RISC OS, Macintosh, Unix
Zip by Mark Howell. Zip implementations vary somewhat in their
features, but it has proven to be an excellent interpreter.
There are a number of Zmachine interpreters for the Macintosh
based on Zip. The most popular is probably Andrew Plotkin's
MaxZip, which behaves like a proper Macintosh program with
resizeable windows and proportional fonts. It does not, however,
support the graphical games. Matthew Russoto's Zip Infinity is
another option. It supports the graphical font used in Beyond
Zork.
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/interpreters/zip/
You may notice increasing discussion about a particular interpreter
being Specification (n) compliant, where (n) is some number like 1.0.
The "specification" is a document by Graham Nelson, based on earlier
work by the InfoTaskForce, which describes rigorously how a Z-Machine is
supposed to behave. An interpreter is said to be Specification-
compliant when it conforms to this document. Frotz is the only
interpreter compliant with the specification available for all
platforms. Zip 2000 on the Acorn complies with the specification as
well.
Some games may eventually require your interpreter adhere to a
particular Speficiation version, especially as the Specfication is
extended over time.
As a point of note, there is some debate over whether Z in "Z-Machine"
should be pronounced as "zed" or "zee". Nobody seems willing to agree on
which sounds better. [Though I can't imagine why anybody wouldn't prefer
"zed". -Ed] Everyone says "zed" with the exception of Americans and
Canadians raised on American programming, who say "zee". The original
prounciation was probably "zee".
> NE
Oh, no! A lurking Z-machine slithered into the room and devoured you!
**** You have died ****
Now, let's take a look here... Well, you probably deserve another chance.
I can't quite fix you up completely, but you can't have everything.
This light room is full of pot plants, flowers, seeds, ornamental trowels
and other miscellaneous garden implements.
A pair of yellow rubber gloves hangs from a hook on one wall.
Aunt Jemima, who has for years collected varieties of daisy, is engaged in
her regular annual pastime of deciding which species make the best chains.
> ASK JEMIMA FOR WAREZ
Jemima screeches with irritation.
(2.11) Where can I get free Infocom games?
Since Activision bought Infocom, Activision now owns the copyrights and
trademarks on Infocom's products. This means it's illegal to have a copy
of any Infocom product you didn't pay for.
However, Activision made Zork 1, Zork 2, Zork 3 and Zork: The
Undiscovered Underground freely downloadable as a promotion for Zork:
Grand Inquisitor. These have been archived at Peter Scheyen's Unofficial
Infocom Home Page ( http://www.csd.uwo.ca/Infocom/) and are available
for downloading there.
Don't bother asking publically where you can get copies of Infocom's
other games, or any other copyrighted IF work. You will be met with
impatience and hostility. Some developers of older games (e.g. Polarware
and Scott Adams) have disclaimed any commercial interest in their games
and have permitted them to be redistributed on the IF archive. If you
are interested in game archaeology and want to preserve old works, try
to get in touch with their owners, get permission, and upload what you
can to the if-archive.
The regular posters here are fans of the art form of interactive
fiction, and admirers of the software developers who create that art.
They are the last people in the world that you should expect to agree,
or to remain silent, when some loser advocates ripping off those
developers by pirating their work.
-- Patrick M. Berry, rec.games.int-fiction poster
Infocom's complete collection was sold by Activision in compilations for
around US$20. Although the boxes indicate support for only Macintosh or
IBM PC computers, owners of non-PC, non-Mac computers need not despair.
If you can find one of the anthologies listed above, you can transfer
the data files to your computer (via floppy, networking, or something)
and use one of the available interpreters to run it. See question 2.10
for information on interpreters.
Your interpreter should support at least v3 files. Some of the larger
games (Trinity) are version 4 or 5. Zork Zero, Arthur, Journey and
Shogun are v6 games, for which the only currently-available interpreters
are Frotz (for Mac, Amiga, and Unix) and Zip 2000 for the Acorn. There
may be more. Check the index files under
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/interpreters/
There probably isn't a legal problem with doing this. Of course, if you
sell your package, you should destroy the copies you've made.
> E.E.S.E.LIE DOWN.SLEEP.
You sleep unexpectedly deeply, but just as you think you are starting to
wake up, you experience a sudden...
It is a frosty, clear night, but there is a scent of camp-fires burning in
the distance. You are passing through the landscape as if a ghost, and all
seems faintly unreal. To the east is one side of an animal-hide tent, but
there is no way in from here. To southwest, some soldiers sit around the
embers of a fire. There is a terrible sense of something about to happen.
> SW
A motley platoon of soldiers are sitting about the embers of a fire.
> LISTEN
(2.12) Creating your own adventure games
There are numerous systems available for developing interactive fiction.
A detailed comparison and exposition of their features is available from
the rec.arts.int-fiction FAQ. Briefly, though:
* Inform, a freely distributable compiler which allows you to generate
Infocom-format story files that can be played with any Z-machine
interpreter.
The Inform language and libraries are excellent. They were designed
to support the requirements of a Zork I-style game and provide the
means to modify the parser, manage timers and daemons, change
personalities and much more. It has C-ish syntax. This system does
require a certain degree of programming knowledge. The documentation
(in 3 parts) is pretty good; the 500+ -page Designers' Manual should
be read even if you don't want to use Inform in favour of a
different system, as it provides an interesting insight into what
goes into developing a game.
ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/infocom/compilers/inform6
* TADS also has a strong following; it has its own web page which is
available at http://www.tela.bc.ca/tela/tads/.
* Hugo is a fairly recent system whose only weakness appears to be a
lack of popularity and an established source code base to learn
from. Its home page can be found at
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/5976/hugo.html
* ALAN is useful for people who are not able (or willing) to program.
It is a language, but not a very complex one and most people are
able to get started quickly. It's more useful for games with a
greater focus on writing than complex behaviour. Make sure that the
demands of your game can be handled by Alan before you start coding.
http://www.welcome.to/alan-if. Newbies may also like Adrift,
http://www.adrift.org.uk/.
There are many other IF development systems available, and some
background and information on them will appear in the next section. For
the best information on the subject, visit rec.arts.int-fiction and read
its FAQ. ftp://ftp.ifarchive.org/if-archive/rec.arts.int-fiction/FAQ
> NE. E. N. TAKE IRON MASCOT
The Druid catches sight of your ghostly hand taking the mascot, and
immediately begins her occultations, cursing you and your ill-gotten
gains. But she is unable to make contact with you, and turns furiously to
the tapestry, hissing "lagach" to the Bear. At once a sudden swirl of wind
seems to pull her into the rough cloth, dissolving her to nothing.
You wake up, shivering with dread.
> WAIT
Something feels very wrong indeed. Your hand begins to burn.
In an astonishing freak accident, a meteorite hurtles through the Earth's
atmosphere and then straight through your head. Anyone would think you had
a curse on you (anyone, that is, still able to think).
**** You have died ****
Press any key to continue.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen van Egmond

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